Last weekend, I went out climbing with one of my good grad school friends, Mike. He and I have a tradition of going on a trip together every summer, and for this year’s edition, I wanted to take Mike out for his first ever alpine climb. We had a great trip and Mike did a fabulous job - the only shame about the trip was the smoke blown in from Oregon, which obscured some of the amazing views of the summits in the Monte Cristo area.
We spent a few hours on Saturday at Index, practicing some crack climbing techniques and multipitch skills, then drove around to the Sunrise Mine trailhead, and started hiking up towards Headlee Pass. Being in the late afternoon, we had most of the climb in the shade - pleasant!
Mike on the trail above Headlee Pass, with Morning Star in the background.
In not too long, we crossed the outlet from Vesper Lake, and stopped to fill up some water before climbing talus to the saddle between Vesper and Wolf Peaks. We found a nice place to camp (with running water, didn’t need to carry any) in a basin just below the saddle, and we enjoyed smoky sunset views down towards Copper Lake.
Sperry above Vesper Lake, with Morning Star, Del Campo, and Gothic to the left.
Sunset views down what remains of the Vesper Glacier, with Copper Lake below.
A bit worried about the route being busy the next morning, we took advantage of our camp near the base to get up early and be the first party on the route. We left camp just before light, and after some fun exposed traversing, were at the base of the first pitch, with no one else around. By accident, one of Mike’s climbing shoes got left back at camp, so I lent him one of mine and climbed with one approach shoe for a little extra alpine feel.
Mike above Sperry and Vesper Lake, approaching Ragged Edge by headlamp just before dawn.
I started leading P1 just before 7am, and after a bit of looking around for the bolts on P2, we settled into a nice rhythm. I thought the climbing was super fun, with stunning views, straightforward routefinding, and bountiful protection.
Mike nearing the top of P2.
A mildly distorted panorama showing the beautiful exposure on the route. The Vesper Glacier and Copper Lake are below, with views over to the south side of Big Four Mountain.
Mike on the lovely arete on P6, the last pitch of the route. Copper Lake below.
Before long, we topped out onto the summit, and enjoyed some early lunch and nice views. None of the parties behind us had caught up, which was gratifying. We headed down the slabs and traversed back over to pack up camp, then headed down the trail towards the car. A great trip with a great friend.
Mike and I near our campsite.